


"I hope you're getting a robo dick!"

by Lost_Elf



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Body Dysphoria, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Jack is paying, Kissing, M/M, No Smut, Pre-Relationship, Rhys had bad childhood, Rhys is getting a robo dick, Trans Male Character, Trans Rhys (Borderlands), angst and serious stuff, mentions of mental health issues, transition surgery discussion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:28:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25485493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lost_Elf/pseuds/Lost_Elf
Summary: After months of trying to pick up his PA, Jack finally learns why Rhys resisted for so long.AKA the fic where trans!Rhys gets a robo dick
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 62





	"I hope you're getting a robo dick!"

**Author's Note:**

> First off, I'm not trans, haven't read many fics with trans characters, haven't talked to trans people that I know about this topic, and only know stuff from research I did in bursts of curiosity. However, I did everything I could to avoid making this insensitive, triggering or insulting.
> 
> Please, be aware of the triggers I mentioned in the tags. Rhys talks about his childhood (he didn't get much support from his family) and about hating his own body and not feeling like it is really him. I have experienced feelings like that, though for a different reason, so Rhys talks from my own experience, but that doesn't mean you should or should not see yourself in it. Everybody is different and goes through different stuff.
> 
> This work is not an attack on anyone, and it is not crack. It is a serious attempt to write a story for this prompt. I did my best, and I'm incredibly sorry if I failed or hurt anyone in the process.
> 
> If you still decide to read this, thank you. :) And if you are trans and have similar parents like Rhys, or really, you are anyone and have bad parents, you have my full support and you can vent to me anytime. :)

Jack had been trying to subtly flirt with his sexy-as-fuck PA for months before he decided that subtly isn’t the way. Rhys seemed deaf towards any compliment, blind to any sexy pose Jack made, and to any pickup line he replied with one of his own, _jokingly_. Although Rhys was one of the smartest people Jack knew, he was incredibly slow in realising that Jack is interested.

So, after four months of making zero progress, Jack levelled his game up considerably. Every morning, Rhys had a fresh coffee on his desk, and every other day a flower. Sometimes, Jack would buy him small gifts, or big gifts, anything to earn the PA’s attention, and then they even started going for dinners together (because lunches were reserved for Rhys’ stupid friends, whom Jack _promoted_ as a favour). After one month of this, Rhys finally acknowledged Jack…

…only to turn him down.

“What-what do you mean this _needs to end_?” the CEO asks dumbly, staring at the PA in the dim light of the stars and his desk lamp. It is late in the evening, they had take out for dinner and just finished the last report. Rhys had ditched his jacket and vest hours ago and undone a few buttons of his shirt after they finally finished, and now he is leaning on the wall next to the window, looking out and looking ridiculously good, and when Jack came closer to maybe try and make a move, he said this.

Rhys sighs, not looking away from the space behind the glass. “I mean that you should stop flirting with me and trying to get into my pants. I work for you and it is not—”

“I can get you any other position if the problem is that you’re my PA,” Jack interrupts him. “I’ll never get somebody half as good as you, but I’ll do it. Just say what you want to do, and it’s yours.”

Rhys sighs again, organic hand coming to rub his face. “Jack, the power imbalance—”

“Oh, _come on_!” Jack groans. “You can’t talk about a power imbalance when you have me wrapped around your little finger! I haven’t airlocked anyone this entire _week_ to make you happy, so don’t talk about power imbalance!”

“You strangled Jerry from the cafeteria this morning for giving you a simple espresso instead of a double,” Rhys reminds him with a cold, absolutely unimpressed stare.

“And you made me sign a card to his family _by hand_!” Jack counters. “See, I wouldn’t do that for anyone else. C’mon, kitten, we’d be perfect together!”

For the first time, Rhys’ façade of disinterest slips. He looks at Jack for a second too long, and the CEO thinks he sees something in Rhys’ unfairly gorgeous face. Maybe he is finally beginning to see it. To test the theory, Jack makes a few steps forward, closing the distance between them. “C’mon, kitten,” he says in a low, sensual voice as he gently touches Rhys’ face with the knuckles of his fingers. “Just give it a chance…”

He thinks they are almost there; he can feel Rhys leaning into the touch. But then the PA pulls away and shoves Jack away from himself with his cybernetic arm – also a favour from Jack, the best model. Jack lets out a small _oof_ while Rhys gives him a fiery glare. “I said—!”

“I know you want it too!” Jack cuts him off, doesn’t let him speak. “Just tell me what’s the problem, and I’ll leave you alone.” Rhys is about to get what he wanted, because Jack’s finally had enough of this shit. He won’t make a fool out of himself for his PA’s amusement, but he wants to at least know why Rhys keeps resisting. Is it the occasional murder spree? Jack can have less of those; he can do better.

This time, Rhys rubs his face with both hands. “You just couldn’t wait another month, could you?” he accuses, words muffled by his palms. “I just… I can’t do this _now_. I hoped you would wait a little longer, but… That doesn’t matter.”

There are some genuine raw feelings in his voice that make the anger slowly boiling up in Jack cool down again. He leans on the window with one shoulder, crosses his arms and waits. Rhys is staring into the space once more, but after a while, he speaks: “You want sex, Jack,” he blames.

Rolling his eyes, Jack huffs. “It’s not just that. You are the second sexiest person in the universe, but I don’t want just that – that much should be obvious if you are as smart as I think.”

“Yeah, but you want _that_ too, and I can’t give it to you.” Rhys shivers so hard it is visible from afar, and his gaze grows unfocused. It makes even Jack feel cold, an uneasy feeling spreading through his body like cold water.

“Are you alright?” he asks, surprised how soft and quiet his voice is.

Rhys looks at Jack with a weary expression and nods, but he looks anything but alright. Maybe it is not the right time, but Jack takes it as another opportunity to approach. He pushes away from the glass and steps closer again, this time not invading Rhys’ personal space but inviting him into his with open arms. After a long pause, Rhys steps away from the wall and accepts the hug.

The height difference between them used to be a little annoying to Jack, but now that Rhys’ head is resting on his shoulder, he doesn’t even mind the barely noticeable two inches. Wrapping his arms around the PA, he waits for Rhys to set the boundaries. For a few minutes, they just stand there, until Rhys pulls away a bit. He looks tired, but he smiles, and in the purple light coming from Elpis he looks like a masterpiece waiting for Jack to appraise with his lips.

To the CEO’s surprise, it is Rhys who leans in and connects their lips. Jack is confused but totally into it, so he kisses back, putting one hand on Rhys’ cheek and holding him gently. When they part, most of the tension seems to finally leave Rhys’ body.

“Can we wait another month?” he asks. “I have a surgery scheduled that I couldn’t afford before. Then I’ll be… ready.”

“We can wait however long you need, Cupcake, but why do you need a surgery? And why didn’t you ask me for money if you couldn’t afford it?” Jack frowns, and Rhys bumps their foreheads together.

“Because…” He huffs, the air from his lungs dancing on the synthetic skin of Jack’s face. “Because I come from the worst planet to be born trans on,” he says with a sigh.

Out of hundreds of planets, Jack immediately knows that, “Mimas?”

“It has quite a reputation, doesn’t it?” Rhys chuckles.

“Yeah,” Jack laughs too. “Wait— You said that you’re trans? But your medical records don’t show any—”

“Because I had to have most stuff done off-the-record,” Rhys explains. “Expensive but worth it. I wouldn’t get the copies and documents I needed to apply to Hyperion if they knew I did it because I'd be a criminal on my planet. I need one last surgery now.”

Realizing that this is the whole deal, Jack shakes his head. “You’re a dumbass, Rhys, you could have told me,” Jack admonishes lightly, rubbing the PA’s back in soothing circles.

“I need to do this,” Rhys sighs.

“That’s not what I—”

“I know what you meant,” the younger man interrupts, putting a finger over Jack’s mouth. “Just let me talk, okay? You wanted me to tell you, so I am.” He waits for Jack to nod, and then replaces the finger with his lips shortly.

“I don’t feel comfortable in this body. I know some guys are alright with that, some don’t go through the whole process, but _I_ have to. I won’t feel like this is _me_ until I do.” Pulling away completely, he leans back on the wall and looks out of the window again. Jack hates the way Rhys’ eyes glisten, already wants to bomb his whole planet for not treating him right.

“When I came out,” Rhys continues, “my parents kept insisting that it’s just a _phase_ , that I’ll change my mind. My _mother_ especially, she’d say that I’ll want children like every _woman_ , and I’ll realise that I’m making a mistake. I suffered depressions and… Well, my mental health was bad. Then I moved off planet and got a chest surgery, and it became a little bit better. I looked into a mirror for the first time in years.

“I had the uterus removed, went to therapy, got a job and moved on. But no matter what all the therapists and psychologists and doctors told me, I just don’t feel like myself. I want to be complete. Does that make sense?”

Silent, Jack nods. He laces his fingers with Rhys’ but keeps his distance, giving him space. The PA went through something that could only happen on Mimas; it shouldn’t be happening in the modern world. The idea to bomb the stupid planet is more and more tempting.

“Say something,” Rhys asks softly.

What is Jack supposed to say? That he will like Rhys no matter how his body looks? That he is sorry for what happened to him? That his _parents_ are stupid, and his therapists are right, and that he is _Rhys_ , and nobody can take that away from him?

Jack says something that only Handsome Jack can say in that situation: “I hope you’re getting a robo dick in that surgery.”

For a few seconds, Rhys just gapes at him, mouth open and eyes blinking slowly. Then, they both burst out laughing.

“You’re unbelievable, jackass!” Rhys sobs through chuckles. There are tears in his eyes as he hugs Jack again, still laughing. “I hate you so much,” he says, but the way he is clutching at Jack says otherwise.

* * *

Neither one of them took into account the fact that Rhys will have to recover from the surgery first. With the additional two weeks, it took six weeks, and by that time, they were both more than looking forward to this. Two weeks were enough for the overwhelming, almost choking excitement of finally feeling like _himself_ to quiet down into a nice warm feeling in Rhys’ chest, making a bright smile appear on his face every now and then.

Jack thumbed at the corner of the smiling lips and grinned too. The six weeks were the best in the last few years. He didn’t need to sleep with Rhys to be happy with him, and they both found out soon that they are very happy together.

Although the relationship mainly required a lot of work on Jack’s part – five murders per week at the absolute worst, or he sleeps on the couch, no bloodied clothes in the hamper, no working past midnight, and no way in hell is he allowed to bring experimental drugs from the R&D and insist they try them and have a _fun night_ – it was also hard on Rhys. It was obvious that he had never been so exposed and vulnerable with someone, and trusting Jack – of all people – with his feelings took conscious effort.

But right now, they were able to put their problems aside and just enjoy each other’s company. Jack was sitting in the middle of the couch in the penthouse living room, with Rhys straddling his lap. They were both shirtless, and Jack was barely able to resist the temptation of the newly exposed skin long enough to make sure Rhys is comfortable.

Slowly, he kissed Rhys’ lips first, then jaw, neck, trailing down to his collarbones. His palms moved from Rhys’ hips to his chest, thumbs tracing the faint scars there. It wasn’t often that Rhys let him see them, still self-conscious about his body, but Jack already knew them by heart. He was sure he would be able to draw them if he was asked to.

Jack’s warm lips carefully kissed around a nipple, first laying worshipping kisses to one of the scars before travelling up again and paying attention to the hardened nub. All the while, Rhys was letting out small gasps and moving his hips against Jack’s. He was hard in his slacks, still dressed from work, and when his hardness pressed against Jack’s, they both groaned. The CEO’s hands fell to the PA’s ass, squeezing and keeping him in place as he slowly thrust against him, thinking about what’s inside those pants.

He'd already seen it. Rhys was so excited after the surgery that he shamelessly showed his new genitalia to almost anyone who asked, with a small amount of blushing on his part. Jack wasn’t a fan of the colour scheme Rhys chose for the cybernetic, but he liked pretty much everything else about it. Especially the bonus functions they chose together.

“Fuck,” Rhys hisses when their hips meet just right. “Let’s bring this to bedroom, okay?” He doesn’t even wait for an answer, escaping Jack’s hands and standing up, heading there. It is not _their_ bedroom yet – Rhys didn’t officially move in. But he started spending so much time in the penthouse, with Jack, that he might as well live there.

“Brilliant idea as always, Cupcake,” Jack agrees, catching up with him.

In the doorway, Rhys suddenly stops, making Jack bump into him lightly. He turns around and gives Jack a very heated gaze, one eyebrow raised provocatively as he says: “But I top.”

The CEO rolls his eyes and pinches Rhys in the side. “Of course you do, dumdum. I didn’t pay a million bucks for a dick just to stare at it.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ElfWriting).
> 
> Thank you for reading. :)


End file.
